


Aurora

by AGL03



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, FitzSimmons Secret Santa, Fluff, fitzsimmons family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGL03/pseuds/AGL03
Summary: Fitzsimmons Secret Santa 2020 for Docjemsimmons who requested Fitzsimmons getting a pet.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37





	Aurora

Fitz leaned against the door of Alya’s room as he watched his daughter sleep peacefully after such a big day. The new stuffed kitten from Aunt Daisy clutched firmly in her arms with her favorite Monkey. 

Daisy and Sousa had come out to spend the day with Alya while Zephyr was restocked for the next mission, the pair not getting to spend as much time with her as some of the others on the team. And much to Alya’s delight it had been for tea at a newly opened cate cafe in town.

Alya had come home from tea wearing a beautiful new dress that looked like it belonged at a formal garden party and the stuffed kitten she’d named Daisy. Dinner had been non stop stories about each of the cats in the cafe, their story, and that each and every one of them was looking for a new and loving home. Just like the one they had. Her favorite by far had been a small black and white kitten named Oreo who had both played with her and slept in her lap as she had tea and cakes.

Bedtime had been Alya forgoing her usual bedtime story in favor of presenting her father with a written list of reasons as to why she was ready and responsible enough for a pet. 

Fitz finally tore himself away and walked the few steps down the hall to his and Jemma’s room, only to find there was no room for him on the bed. Jemma had her tablet out while papers of varying colors spread around her.

“Did she finally go down?” she asked without looking up from her work.

“Yeah, I think she had far more than the two cakes Sousa said she did,” Fitz replied as he was careful to sit on the edge of the bed beside her to see what she was working on. Each pile revealed to be a different dog from the local animal shelter, the tablet listing the traits of the breeds in a neatly organized spreadsheet.

Fitz smiled again. Jemma had been intent on waiting until Alya was older before getting her a pet. But it seemed that their daughter was being quite persuasive in the matter. And if he was being honest he had been nudging for one just as much. Just the idea of Alya running around the garden, laughing in delight, as she played with a puppy made him smile. 

“What happened to waiting until she was six?” he asked as he moved enough of the papers to sit down next to her. 

“Seems she is better at wearing me down on a puppy than you ever were on a monkey,” Jemma said playfully and pulled out a picture Alya had given a spot of honor among her other works of art. 

“Well she is cuter,” Fitz agreed looking at the picture. Alya had drawn a picture of herself out in the garden with a little black and white dog playing with her. It was no wonder Oreo had been such a big hit on today’s outing. 

“We are also about to celebrate the one year anniversary of coming home. I thought this would be a nice way to mark it for her,” Jemma said. She snuggled into Fitz not caring that her meticulous piles had been disturbed. The perfect one was already in her hand and she showed it to Fitz.

“Her name is Aurora, she is two years old, excellent with children, house trained, and a poodle mix so will be very intelligent and not shed,” Jemma explained. “I’ve been checking the shelter for weeks and she just arrived today and I worry she won’t last long. Sweet dog like that.”

Fitz looked at the photo, sad confused eyes looking up from under a mop of curls as his mind instantly was flooded with images of the pup running around the garden with Alya, sleeping at the foot of her bed, and patiently being covered in bows as Alya dressed her up. 

And it took him all of a moment to get where Jemma clearly already was. Aurora was meant for their family.

“Well then I guess we had better make sure we get up early so we can be at the shelter first thing,” he said and kissed Jemma atop the head. “Would hate for her to get away.” 

“Well we don’t have to get up too early,” Jemma said and she pulled out another paper she’d been hiding under her pillow. I adopted her this afternoon over the phone. She was too perfect and I couldn’t chance it.” 

Fitz laughed, as always Jemma was well ahead of him and now he couldn’t wait for morning to come.

\----------------------------------------------------

The next morning just after breakfast the small family set out for town, Alya none the wiser as to what her parents had in store. It wasn’t uncommon for them to go into town regularly for outings and supplies. After years on a plane, desolate planet, underground bases, space, and time they tried to get out into the fresh air and show their daughter all the wonders earth had to offer. 

Up front neither Fitz nor Jemma could keep the smiles off of their faces. Each one nearly gave the surprise away that morning just in making the list of what they would need to pick up. 

It was only when they turned down an unfamiliar road did Alya put down her book and look out the window at the new place.

“Where are we going Da?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise Monkey,” Fitz said and Jemma turned back with a wide smile on her face. 

“A surprise!” Alya shouted as she plastered her face to the window best she could in her seat restraints. “What is it?! Is Uncle Coulson here to visit again? Did Uncle Deke come home?”

“Yes, a surprise,” Jemma said, the comment asking about Deke a momentary sting. They were working to find a way to bring him home and a dog was something he had spent a long time talking about over dinner one night. But that was a problem for another day.

“And you will just have to wait and see until we get there. But I”m sure if you are a good spy like Aunt May showed you you’ll be able to pick up some clues.”

Jemma giggled and snapped a picture at the look of concentration that came over their little girls face. She’d had always taken any sort of lesson seriously, but Aunt May was a teacher, and Alya always excelled with her assignments from teachers. 

Jemma sent it off to the group text that would soon be full of adorable pictures of Alya and her new friend. It only took a few seconds for excited texts back to stream in. Jemma knew the surprise would be just as fun for Alya’s small army of Aunts and Uncles. 

“Mama!” Alya said as she pointed to a sign they had passed. “That sign had an animal on it, are we going to the zoo?”

“Good eyes, but no Sweet Girl, we are not going to the zoo, but you keep watching for more clues,” Jemma said

And not twenty minutes later was the family pulled into a nondescript building that housed the local animal shelter. 

Fitz was quick to park the car, just as excited, if not more, than his daughter. Despite his grousing about Christmas being over rated he’d had his mind changed their first one back. The sight of his daughter so happy and squealing with delight as she opened the small mountain of gifts and her excitement for everything the holiday had to offer melted his heart. 

It was as soon as he opened the door by Alya’s car seat that she heard the dogs inside barking away.

Fitz barely had time to catch her as she launched herself out of her car seat into her father’s arms.

“Da! I hear puppies! We are getting a puppy!” she squealed. A mix of thank yous and kisses being showered all over Fitz’s face.

“You are right!” Jemma said as she joined the pair, Alya jumped into her mothers arms so she could given her own thank you’s and kisses. 

Once Alya had calmed down enough that they could walk safely across the car park to the door every step was met with one excited question after another.

“What kind of dog?”

“What is its name?”

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Can it sleep in my room?”

“Can it ride in Lola with me?”

The questions finally fell silent as they entered the building and the shelter staff stood waiting with Aurora freshly groomed, a pink bow, leashed, and waiting for her new friend. 

Alya froze in Fitz’s arms falling silent as her eyes fell on the puppy. All of her excitement suddenly gave way to tears.

“Alya, what’s wrong?” Jemma asked. This was not the reaction she’d thought Alya would have. 

Aurora whined a little as if she could sense the little girl's distress.

Alya quickly wiped her face and wiggled free of Fitz’s arms. “It’s like when you got me out of the pod Mama, these are happy tears.”

With that Alya raced up to Aurora, only to stop short at the last second as she remembered that she needed to let a new dog sniff her hand before it was okay to pet.

“Hello puppy, I’m Alya,” she said, Aurora giving her hand a few licks.

Jemma knelt down next to Alya while FItz took over picture duty. “This is Aurora,”

“Like Sleeping Beauty!” Alya said happily and gave into her excitement and scooped the dog up best she could in her small arms. Aurora didn’t seem to mind at all and wagged her tail and started to lick Alya’s face. 

“We are going to be best friends!” Alya said and set her down to scratch her ears. “We have a cottage with a huge garden we can play in, mama makes the yummiest food, we get presents from Aunts and Uncles all over the world and space, and Da can build you a special house to put in my room!”

The shelter staff raised a few confused eyebrows about the Aunts and Uncles in Space comment but shrugged it off. Going over final instructions and papers with Jemma and Fitz knelt down to give Aurora some love of his own.

Within a few minutes the family of three had become four, Aurora already displaying her excellent behavior walking calmly enough for Alya to hold the leash. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was just starting to set when the small family returned to their home. Following the shelter they’d gone to the local pet supply to get everything they needed to bring a new puppy home and another round of everything Alya felt they needed to bring a dog home. 

Jemma snapped one last picture as they pulled up the drive. Alya sitting content, surrounded by bags from the pet store, as she pet a sleeping Aurora in her lap. The dogs new starry sparkly dog collar glistening in the light. 

“Uncle Daniel!” Alya cried from the back seat seeing him sitting on the porch swing.

“Did you know he was coming?” Jemma asked.

“I didn’t,” Fitz said and tried to remember if Sousa or Daisy had said anything about day 2 when they dropped Alya yesterday.

Jemma felt a pang of panic that something had happened to someone on the team. 

“I’m sure everyone is okay,” Fitz said to sooth her unspoken fear. Though it didn’t stop him from quickly parking and rushing ahead to check with Sousa while Jemma delayed Alya just enough to shield her from any bad news. 

Sousa met him halfway, Fitz just noticing a basket in his hand as he approached with a wide smile. The trained agent instantly recognized Fitz’s worry.

“I really need to get a phone like Daisy keeps trying to get me too,” he said. “I realize now me sitting at your door without notice could be a cause for concern.”

“I agree on the phone,” Fitz said in relief. 

“Though you are welcome here anytime,” Jemma added just as Alya barreled into Sousa’s legs with a squeal of delight. Aurora sniffed and barked at him in response to Alya’s excitement.

Sousa carefully set the basket down to properly greet Alya and then Aurora. “I believe you are right as I seem to be out of the loop in a crucial development here.

“This is my new puppy Aurora!” Alya announced proudly. “Mama and Da got her for me!”

“Did they now,” Sousa said as he stood up again, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. “Well then I may have acted a bit too brashly,” he said just as a small meow came out of the basket.

Aurora barked again as Alya scrambled to the basket and flung it open before her parents could say another word. Oreo the kitten from the day before popped a curious head out. 

Fitzsimmons both shot Sousa a look as Alya gathered up the kitten into her arms, dropping kisses to her head, and then holding her out for Aurora to sniff going through the introductions. “Aurora, this is your sister Oreo, and as sisters you must always be kind to each other. But I don’t think Oreo should be her name, she should have a space name like me and Aurora, so Aurora this is your sister Luna….”

Alya kept talking to her new pets and Sousa gave Fitzsimmons a sheepish grin completely unashamed of his devious actions. Though he knew full well that there would be heck to pay with Daisy for not including her in on such a big surprise. “I had to do something to top the miniature flying Lola Mack is working on.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

End


End file.
